Kristin Ross
KRISTIN ROSS
------------
------------ 1 Western Way CPO 6051
Gunnison, CO 81231
EDUCATION
MS Western Colorado University, Ecology Project Graduation: May 2021
“Multi-scale Habitat Assessment of Sagebrush Obligate Birds
in Gunnison Basin, Colorado”
Advisor: Patrick Magee PhD
BA Binghamton University, Biology May 2017
GPA: 3.4
Division 1 Student Athlete
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Avian Point Count Surveys, Gunnison, CO May 2019 to October 2020
BLM Gunnison Field Office
Kathy Brodhead, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 550 hours Salary: $16/hour
Completed 20 Point Count Surveys conducted through the Inter Mountain Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (IMBCR). For each survey a 1 km x 1 km plot with 16 gridded points were surveyed. Each point survey consisted of a visual vegetation estimate and a 6 minute observation period of birds. Once all 20 plots had been surveyed, I entered all of the data into the IMBCR database. Learned to identify sagebrush steppe bird species by sight and sound. Additionally surveyed vegetation percent cover to incorporate with satellite imagery in order to build a sagebrush percent cover remote sensing tool for the Gunnison Basin.
Bird Species and Breeding Surveys, Crested Butte, CO May 2020 to October 2020
Private Land Owners
Dr. Patrick Magee, Western Colorado University Professor
Hours: 200 hours Salary: $16/hour
Completed weekly surveys of the species present and breeding behavior of the birds in a newly restored wet meadow. I complied this information to present to land owners recommendations for habitat restoration, windows for trail closures during peak breeding activity and to give a census for what the bird community looks like on their property 1 year after the restoration project began so that it can be monitored into the future.
Wildlife Biology Technician, Cañon City, CO May 2019 to September 2019
BLM Royal Gorge Field Office
Matt Rustand, BLM Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 700 hours Salary: $12/hour
Worked on a team of 3 wildlife biology technicians. I conducted native bat population surveys using acoustic monitoring equipment across the Royal Gorge Field Office management area (>650,000 acres) to establish population baseline. I assessed the quality of potential Canada Lynx habitat on BLM lands in Leadville and Waugh Mt., CO using vegetation cover assessment methods and Snowshoe Hare population estimates through long-term scat analysis. I conducted population surveys of Penstemon degnerii at established plots across Freemont County, CO and created publication ready technical reports which document and analyze the changes in the populations over the past three years. I surveyed canyons located between Cañon City, CO and Victor, CO to locate Mexican Spotted Owls breeding pairs and assisted in creating the annual report monitoring their populations.
Bird Banding Assistant, Fort Hood, TX December 2018 to May 2019
Fort Hood Biological Station
Dr. David Cimprich, US Army Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 200 hours Salary: $0/hour
I assisted in setting up and taking down mist nets along with setting up vocal and food lures around the nets. I un-netted 65 of those birds from mist nets without assistance and banded 95 passerines of 15 different species. I trapped and removed 10 birds in sliding door traps. I trapped and removed 7 Anna’s Hummingbirds from a swing door trap and successfully banded 1 male. I participated in targeted mist-netting of Sedge Wrens in Mad Island WMA and assisted in documenting the molt phase of their alula feathers. I learned how to access stored fat using Mueller and Berger's (1966) scoring system and how to access molt phases in primary, secondary and rectrice feathers.
RELEVANT COURSEWORK
Ornithology January 2017 to May 2017
Binghamton University, Vestal, NY
Dr. Julian Shepard, Biology Department
Advanced Techniques in GIS September 2019 to December 2019
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Phillip Crossley, Geology Department
Mammalogy January 2020 to May 2020
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Patrick Magee, Biology Department
Advanced Ecological Analysis January 2020 to May 2020
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Zachary Triesman, Mathmematics Department
PRESENTATIONS
IMBCR Partners Meeting
“Long-term Sagebrush Bird Monitoring in the Face of Land Use and Climate
Changes in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado” 20 minute talk
Inter Mountain Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Fort Collins, Co January 2020
TWS State Conference
“Multi-scale Habitat Assessment and Long-term Population Monitoring of
Sagebrush Obligate Birds in Gunnison Basin, Colorado” Poster presentation
The Wildlife Society, Fort Collins, CO February 2020
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Colorado Field Ornithologists 2020 Project Grant Recipient $1,485
Sisk-a-dee Sagebrush Research Scholarship $1,000
Americorp Scholarship $2,255.62
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists (GREEBS)
Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, Gothic, CO September 2019
Distance Sampling Training Workshop
University of St. Andrews (Online) July 2020
Center for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling
Distance sampling concepts taught include: line transects, point transects, survey design, detection function models, model selection, estimation of uncertainty, identifying sources of uncertainty in estimates, geographic stratification for variance reduction, indirect surveys, dung or nest surveys and use of multipliers.
KRISTIN ROSS
------------
------------ 1 Western Way CPO 6051
Gunnison, CO 81231
EDUCATION
MS Western Colorado University, Ecology Project Graduation: May 2021
“Multi-scale Habitat Assessment of Sagebrush Obligate Birds
in Gunnison Basin, Colorado”
Advisor: Patrick Magee PhD
BA Binghamton University, Biology May 2017
GPA: 3.4
Division 1 Student Athlete
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Avian Point Count Surveys, Gunnison, CO May 2019 to October 2020
BLM Gunnison Field Office
Kathy Brodhead, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 550 hours Salary: $16/hour
Completed 20 Point Count Surveys conducted through the Inter Mountain Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (IMBCR). For each survey a 1 km x 1 km plot with 16 gridded points were surveyed. Each point survey consisted of a visual vegetation estimate and a 6 minute observation period of birds. Once all 20 plots had been surveyed, I entered all of the data into the IMBCR database. Learned to identify sagebrush steppe bird species by sight and sound. Additionally surveyed vegetation percent cover to incorporate with satellite imagery in order to build a sagebrush percent cover remote sensing tool for the Gunnison Basin.
Bird Species and Breeding Surveys, Crested Butte, CO May 2020 to October 2020
Private Land Owners
Dr. Patrick Magee, Western Colorado University Professor
Hours: 200 hours Salary: $16/hour
Completed weekly surveys of the species present and breeding behavior of the birds in a newly restored wet meadow. I complied this information to present to land owners recommendations for habitat restoration, windows for trail closures during peak breeding activity and to give a census for what the bird community looks like on their property 1 year after the restoration project began so that it can be monitored into the future.
Wildlife Biology Technician, Cañon City, CO May 2019 to September 2019
BLM Royal Gorge Field Office
Matt Rustand, BLM Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 700 hours Salary: $12/hour
Worked on a team of 3 wildlife biology technicians. I conducted native bat population surveys using acoustic monitoring equipment across the Royal Gorge Field Office management area (>650,000 acres) to establish population baseline. I assessed the quality of potential Canada Lynx habitat on BLM lands in Leadville and Waugh Mt., CO using vegetation cover assessment methods and Snowshoe Hare population estimates through long-term scat analysis. I conducted population surveys of Penstemon degnerii at established plots across Freemont County, CO and created publication ready technical reports which document and analyze the changes in the populations over the past three years. I surveyed canyons located between Cañon City, CO and Victor, CO to locate Mexican Spotted Owls breeding pairs and assisted in creating the annual report monitoring their populations.
Bird Banding Assistant, Fort Hood, TX December 2018 to May 2019
Fort Hood Biological Station
Dr. David Cimprich, US Army Wildlife Biologist
Hours: 200 hours Salary: $0/hour
I assisted in setting up and taking down mist nets along with setting up vocal and food lures around the nets. I un-netted 65 of those birds from mist nets without assistance and banded 95 passerines of 15 different species. I trapped and removed 10 birds in sliding door traps. I trapped and removed 7 Anna’s Hummingbirds from a swing door trap and successfully banded 1 male. I participated in targeted mist-netting of Sedge Wrens in Mad Island WMA and assisted in documenting the molt phase of their alula feathers. I learned how to access stored fat using Mueller and Berger's (1966) scoring system and how to access molt phases in primary, secondary and rectrice feathers.
RELEVANT COURSEWORK
Ornithology January 2017 to May 2017
Binghamton University, Vestal, NY
Dr. Julian Shepard, Biology Department
Advanced Techniques in GIS September 2019 to December 2019
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Phillip Crossley, Geology Department
Mammalogy January 2020 to May 2020
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Patrick Magee, Biology Department
Advanced Ecological Analysis January 2020 to May 2020
Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO
Dr. Zachary Triesman, Mathmematics Department
PRESENTATIONS
IMBCR Partners Meeting
“Long-term Sagebrush Bird Monitoring in the Face of Land Use and Climate
Changes in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado” 20 minute talk
Inter Mountain Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Fort Collins, Co January 2020
TWS State Conference
“Multi-scale Habitat Assessment and Long-term Population Monitoring of
Sagebrush Obligate Birds in Gunnison Basin, Colorado” Poster presentation
The Wildlife Society, Fort Collins, CO February 2020
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Colorado Field Ornithologists 2020 Project Grant Recipient $1,485
Sisk-a-dee Sagebrush Research Scholarship $1,000
Americorp Scholarship $2,255.62
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
Guild of Rocky Mountain Ecologists and Evolutionary Biologists (GREEBS)
Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, Gothic, CO September 2019
Distance Sampling Training Workshop
University of St. Andrews (Online) July 2020
Center for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling
Distance sampling concepts taught include: line transects, point transects, survey design, detection function models, model selection, estimation of uncertainty, identifying sources of uncertainty in estimates, geographic stratification for variance reduction, indirect surveys, dung or nest surveys and use of multipliers.